Financial Literacy Units for High School Students

Free, no-prep financial literacy units, simulations, and classroom activities for high school students. Assign as homework or run in class — any device, any browser.

Free classroom resource Grades 9–12 Personal finance No login required Teacher guide included
Suggested pacing
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar–May
6 units · Grades 9–12
Standards coverage: These six units map directly to the six national personal finance topics — Earning Income, Spending, Saving, Investing, Managing Credit, and Managing Risk — ensuring comprehensive curriculum alignment at the 12th grade level.

All units

2 live · 4 coming soon
Unit 01Live
Budgeting

Income, expenses, needs vs wants, opportunity cost, and real-life decision-making under financial constraints.

Budget creation Needs vs. wants Payment methods Consumer decisions
Simulations1 of 3 live
Budget decision makerLive
Weekly spending challengeComing soon
Fixed vs variable expensesComing soon
Unit 02Live
Credit

Credit scores, interest rates, minimum payments, debt traps, and the true cost of borrowing over time.

Credit scores Interest & APR Debt repayment Identity theft
Simulations1 of 2 live
Credit card & debt simulationLive
Building your credit scoreComing soon
Unit 03Coming Aug 2026
Saving

Emergency funds, savings goals, compound interest, and the psychology of building financial safety nets.

Compound interest Emergency funds IRAs & Roth IRAs Inflation impact
Simulations0 of 2 live
Emergency fund builderComing soon
Compound interest visualizerComing soon
Unit 04Coming 2026
Investing

Stocks, bonds, risk vs return, diversification, and why starting early changes everything.

Stocks & bonds Risk & return Diversification Retirement planning
Simulations0 of 2 live
Risk vs return decisionComing soon
Portfolio builderComing soon
Unit 05Coming 2026
Taxes

Gross vs net pay, W-4 withholding, tax brackets, filing basics, and understanding your first paycheck.

Pay stubs & W-4 Tax brackets Withholding Filing basics
Simulations0 of 2 live
Your first paycheckComing soon
Tax bracket simulatorComing soon
Unit 06Coming 2026
Managing Risk

Insurance types, coverage decisions, deductibles, premiums, and protecting yourself against financial loss.

Health insurance Auto & renter's Life & disability Risk tolerance
Simulations0 of 2 live
Insurance coverage decisionComing soon
Deductible vs premium tradeoffComing soon

Projects

1 live
ProjectLive
Career & Earning

Career paths, earnings potential, and how career decisions connect to long-term financial outcomes.

Career planning Earnings potential Financial goals